by Anne Barrowclough – Times Online
Australia’s offshore immigration detention centre has been attacked by Amnesty International which says the Christmas Island facilites are in breach of human rights.
Of particular concern is the treatment of children, many of whom have no parent or guardian with them, and the use of tents to house asylum seekers, said the human rights group.
Graham Thom, the refugee coordinator for Amnesty International Australia, who has just finished a week-long tour of the controversial detention centre on the remote Indian Ocean island said the over-crowded conditions made it impossible for Australia’s government to maintain it had a human immigration policy.
He described it as “effectively a high-security prison facility” and added the treatment of refugees on the island constitutes a fundamental breach of Australia’s international obligations under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
“After inspecting the construction camp, where families with children and unaccompanied minors are housed, Amnesty International has found that the facility is blatantly unsuitable for this purpose,” Dr Thom said. “Families with young children, unaccompanied minors and women are housed in cramped demountables, behind guarded fences,” he said.
“It is not sustainable. You can clearly see the impact it is having on the mental health of those who have been there a long time,” he added.
Australia receives a fraction of what the United Nations estimates to be around 15 million refugees globally but the issue is an emotive one throughout the country.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s stance on asylum seekers has been markedly softer than his predecessor John Howard, under whose widely criticised Pacific Solution refugees were sent for processing in detention facilites in the distant South Pacific nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
Mr Rudd abandoned the Pacific Solution soon after he was elected in November 2007 but a year ago a new wave of boat people forced him to re-open the Christmas Island facilites, nearly 1000 miles off Australia’s coast.
At the time refugee advocates criticised the high-security facility as “prison like”.
In a letter to Chris Evans, the Immigration Minister, Amnesty International reminded him of “the damage done to people’s mental and physical health by detaining them in remote, high-security detention centres such as this”.
Amnesty said today that many asylum seekers on the island, including some unaccompanied minors had been in detention for six months while others had been there for nearly a year.
Christmas Island remote position made it impossible for the government to implement a humane immigration policy, and had led to extreme detention conditions that were out of step with the government’s stated detention values, Dr Thom said. He added that it did not deter asylum seekers.
Mr Evans said today the organisation’s criticism was unfounded and stood by Australia’s policy of detaining asylum seekers who arrive by boat on Christmas Island.
“Irregular maritime arrivals are receiving fair and humane treatment and Australia is not in breach of its international obligations,” Mr Evans said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor announced a $AU50 million infrastructure package for the Christmas Island community.
The package is intended to provide additional health, policing and education resources and is in addition to a $AU10.8 million capital works package announced in August.
“This expansion will not only address current needs but will support the economic future of Christmas Island,” Mr O’Connor said.
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If i was a Christian like you are Mr Rudd, I would go to my church on Christmas day and pray.
I would pray for Mr Howard. His Pacific Solution offerd me the opportunity to prettent that I am a better human being and therefor I have managed to get the votes of my fellow Aussies and become a prime minister.
Then, please try to immagine what you could do if you would decide to spend those hundreds of millions of dollars more wisely for those people.
Have a nice Christmas Mr Prime Minister Of The Commonwealth of Australia.
Congratulations VJCK on your comment. I wish more Australians voiced their opinions like you did in your response to this article.If Mr Rudd thought that there were many like you, he may make more humane choices concerning refugees.Unfortunatly he thinks and he may be right, that Mr Howard’s approach was in the main, reflecting the general Australia attitude towards refugees.Dont forget he has to represent all of the electorate but ultimately he and his government are resposible for their decisions.